'One sec,' muttered Fred as they finally approached the Triple Double V's. There had been a number of false starts (no one could elongate a conversation matter more than the twins and Lee), sudden remembrances (when was the last time any of the Kata had –properly- talked to Tom anyway?) and so forth since they had left The Cauldron. Those could be blamed on the Group, but Fate was of course dipping in Her Hand and so…the twenty minute journey at most was taking seemingly forever.
Only slight leeway they were being given was the current clear pathway, but that was more down to the sheer size of the Group rather than anything else. It was too easy to be able to push the crowd aside as they moved down the Main Street of Diagon Alley.
'What are you after?' said George, nudging his twin with his shoulder.
Fred only shrugged.
'Just need to grab something from the Back,' he muttered, shifting over to the edge of the group.
Hermione narrowed her eyes.
Oh no. Fred wasn't going to be allowed to make a break for it. Hermione wouldn't let him.
There had been enough –instances- to delay them further once they had left The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione had thought that the entire –failure- to of the quiet lunch at The Cauldron was bad enough…
Despite the hour and the fact that it was still a weekday, the pub had been over-run by a rowdy bunch of Others. Several loud –cliques- of so called friends who spent their three hours there cat-calling, singing loudly (badly and off-tune for the most part) as if they were drunk and being nuisances.
It was only due to pointed looks that the Weasley Kata hadn't interfered on the pub's staff behalf, especially after they watched yet another round of the employees being ordered around as if they were earning enough to verify being treated as such.
At one point, Hermione had slightly worried that the Others might try and call someone –official- in to back the Others up. But, the Others had eventually left and the Kata…
Well, it had still taken them another half an hour to leave The Cauldron. Certain Members of the Group had suddenly developed minds of a sieve.
But there weren't going to be any more sudden –remembrances-. Not if Mione could help it.
'No,' Hermione said, feeling the words hiss through her lips. 'No! You are not going to disappear just because you –think- you need to get something now.'
Hermione softly growled as that seemed to get through to at least three of them. Lee twisted his body so that he could he could stare at her, one of his eyebrows quirked.
'Well, that can be easily solved,' Lee said, eyes winking as his mouth crept into a grin. 'You can go with him to make sure he doesn't take –too- long.'
She half expected him to start waggling his eyebrows or something. Though why Lee would go that far to prove his point, Merlin knew.
Hermione could never understand any of them, even after all of these years.
'Lee!' hissed George, grabbing his Mate around the waist and trying to drag him away.
Too late though. Hermione had already quickened her step so that she could thump Lee on the back.
'Ouch! Mione!' said Lee, hunching his shoulders as he nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to get away. 'No need for that! Just because you want to-'
'Lee!,' said Charlie, steel underlining his voice from behind her.
With a huff, Lee turned his head to scowl at her, undoubtedly to make sure that she realised what kind of damage she had done not only physically but also to his feelings before righting himself up so that he could walk.
'Can it be retrieved later?' cut in George.
Another shrug from Fred.
'Guess so,' he muttered. 'Just don't let me forget it.'
George nodded.
'Forget what?' piped up Alicia from the back of the Group. 'And any sudden loss of hearing is not going to make me –forget-.'
Hermione's shoulder tensed.
Worse and worse.
And the reaction from Fred and George… It was only the slightest tilts of their heads to each other, but…
It still meant trouble.
'Never you mind,' said George.
Alicia snorted.
'Ha!' she said. 'The last time you said that, we ended up getting another Notice! None of our business you said, and the next minute, there was an owl ordering us to all appear before them!'
And all of this happening in the middle of a work day, Hermione had had to ask Val to come in on her day off to cover, had not made any of the twins and Lee's protests any easier on the ears. The very idea of having to be –hauled- up to Bumblebee's Office to face the stern and disapproving faces of the Elders because Fred, George and Lee had decided to act without –informing- the rest of the Group first…
And then to hear it just being referred by Alicia as just –another- Notice…
Those three were lucky-
'Can we not wait until we are back in the apartment before we get into –another- discussion?' interrupted Charlie, brass tones ringing over the entire Group and for a moment causing the slightest of silences.
Small pause of thought.
'You mean we will be allowed to continue it?' said Alicia. 'Even after what happened last time when there was that –little issue-?'
Charlie visibly sighed.
'Nothing happened last time,' he muttered.
Hermione closed her eyes as she dipped her head into her chest.
Ah Hell.
Did that mean there were more repercussions than what she had done to the three of them? Hermione had left them in not the nicest states of minds, there was a great deal of flinching at any point when they –bumped- into each other, but now…
Other Members of the Kata had obviously decided that it wasn't enough.
Hermione's lips twitched.
More than they deserved.
'It was a combination, Mione,' said Ron. 'Not only due to us being told off by the Elders, but then there was a quick blow-out later.'
He shrugged.
'Ended soon enough,' Ron added.
With a twitch of her head, Hermione frowned.
All she needed. In the two months since the Group had last been pulled in front of the Elders, the twins and Lee…managed to get in even more trouble.
Hermione sighed.
There just could never be any leeway in sight.
'Ministry trying to cause a bit of trouble,' added Ron. 'Twins and Lee caught wind of it. Nipped it back in the bud.'
Hopefully without giving the Idiot and his Lapdogs a new reason to demand their presence again. Hermione wasn't sure Brian would be able to restrain her this time.
What she had done to Umbridge would be nothing compared to what she would do to the lot of them.
The Ministry never learnt from their mistakes. It always took more than three times to get it through their thick heads anything…especially if it had something to do with Resistance Members and Common Sense.
'What kind of trouble?' Hermione muttered.
'Usual nonsense,' said Ron, wrapping his arms around her waist. 'Nothing to worry about.'
Hermione cocked her head slightly as she snorted.
'Honestly, Mione,' murmured Ron, squeezing her.
'Truth,' whispered Harry into her other ear.
Leaning into Ron's embrace, the three followed the Kata to the front steps of the twins and Lee's home. Ron tightened his grip as the group re-arranged itself so that they could troop up those steps two by two, as if Hermione would sudden decide to re-start the entire –argument- with Fred, George and Lee. Harry shifted ahead.
Oh for the love of Merlin. Did both of them think that?
'So no need for any of those little goodies given to you by Sirius and Remus,' muttered Ron. 'Even they do deserve it.'
Hermione snorted.
'Which group?' she muttered.
Though, in either case-
'The Lapdogs of course,' said Ron, with a wink. 'Who else would I be talking about?'
Giving Ron a bump with her hip, Hermione ducked her head into the crook of Ron's neck as she bit her lip. She wasn't going to laugh over that.
She wasn't.
That would only-
'Of course,' added Ron, 'it would all be wasted though. Don't think they would get the joke anyway.'
Ah Hell. Why was she trying to bother?
Slightly wriggling out of Ron's grip, Hermione threw her head back and laughed. Ron, of course, took control over the entire method of walking as Hermione…
Well, she'd hardly be able to stand up if this continued. The actual thought of her marching up to the front desk with a wrapped box, she would of course insist that it was open in front of her, and hand it over personally to the Higher Lapdogs of the New Idiot. She'd need at least several shields around her and a few…
Nearly tripping over her own feet, Hermione nudged herself up against Ron and shook her head.
No. No. She wasn't even going to go that far. She was not even thinking over what she would need to make it successful. side
Even if the thought of not only the reactions she would be given from the Idiot and the Lapdogs, but also…
Dear Merlin, the Kata, excluding Ron and Harry of course who knew better, thought she was-
'Mione?' cut in Fred's voice from the top of the stairs, keeping to the side in order to allow everyone else to pass him.
Hermione made another attempt to cut back on her chuckling. Nestling her head back underneath Ron's chin, she gave Fred a nod. Ron's tightening around her waist made it easier, less room for her to completely lose control and fall, so it only took a couple more gulps before Hermione could more or less be able to talk properly.
'What Fred?' she said as Ron helped her over the final step and the three crossed the front door.
'What about Remus and Sirius?' said Fred, falling back onto the couch nearest the door, one arm along the back of it and crossing one leg over the other.
If Hermione didn't know better, than she would have thought that he was actually completely nonchalant about this little titbit he had overheard.
'Let Mione have some secrets,' said Ron as he actually managed to control his own laughter. Dumping himself onto the couch himself, Ron dragged Hermione down on top of him and the two snuggled up against each other.
Undoubtedly to make sure that Ron could have his fun. He wanted to be the one to –hint- about exactly how much the rest of the Kata didn't know about the three of them.
'Secrets?' said Fred, arching an eyebrow. 'What kind of-?'
'Her own secrets,' said Ron.
Fred's corner of his mouth twitched.
'And?' he said.
'And that's all you're getting,' said Ron, giving Hermione a kiss on the top of her head.
'Or what?' said Fred.
Ron winked at him.
'Or else you'll face the wrath of The Golden Trio,' he said.
Hermione's body shook.
Oh, if only half of the rumours about Ron, Harry and Hermione were true, it would definitely change their point of view of them. Problem was, that even the half that the Resistance Members knew were true, was still a long way from anything that could really –rock the boat-.
It was the ones that they didn't know that-
'You can't leave it at that!' said Fred, leaning forward.
Ron laughed.
'Yes we can,' said Ron.
Hermione had the sudden mental image of Ron sticking out his tongue at Fred in the childish manner of –that's all you are getting from me-. And knowing Fred… undoubtedly he would return the exact same gesture.
Only…
Hermione snorted.
And if Hermione wanted to prove to them exactly how silly the two were acting then… Well, she still had those prongs that Remus and Sirius had left in Harry's possession a few months earlier. They would come in useful to-
'Mione?' murmured Ron into her ear.
Biting her lip again, Hermione pulled herself from Ron's embrace and threw him a smile.
'Prongs,' she said.
Ron's lips twitched.
'Really?' he said. 'Out of all of them, that's the one you are thinking of?'
Hermione snuggled up against Ron, one hand creeping to the neckline of Ron's to rest there.
'Perfect opportunity for it,' she said.
Ron softly snorted.
'Just proves it,' he muttered.
Hermione sniffed.
'Does not.'
Definitely not. Just because she had agreed with Sirius over the abundant different options the prongs offered didn't mean that she could be categorised as-
'Then I'll just have to bring this before Remus,' said Ron. 'And that will be to your loss. You know he'll agree.'
Hermione rolled her eyes.
'Hardly,' she said.
'What in Merlin's name are the pair of you talking about?' cut in the voice of George as he settled next to his twin.
Lee slipped next to him.
A sigh from Charlie.
'It's their own business,' he said
'But-' said Fred.
'They're own,' said Charlie. 'Don't pry.'
And the matter was…over.
It was another leniency, this time afforded to Ron, Harry and Hermione. Even after all of these years, no one outside of the three knew everything they had done before, during and after the War. Some were hoarded as secrets, others were only known in general with allowances made to never ask any further…
But some of those should have been…told.
A huff from Fred, but he leaned back again.
Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him, Ron bent his head down to whisper in her ear again.
'Think they need a bit more time,' he said. 'If they find out about the prongs and the rest a bit too soon, they might lose their sensibilities. And who knows what that will lead to.'
Hermione snorted.
'Sh,' said Harry softly, placing a hand on Hermione's knee and giving the slightest of nods towards the rest of the rest of the Kata as they settled around them.